Almond Flour Mushrooms with Chunky Marinara

I have always been a huge fan of Italian food, specifically pizza and pasta. I remember as a child spaghetti and meatballs was always my favorite dish (and still to this day is one of the best)!

But lately my husband and I have been trying to stay away from having too much gluten products, so spaghetti was a no-no. However, there's no gluten in the sauce! I've come to realize that most of my favorite Italian foods are based around the marinara anyway. I never did like Alfredo sauce, and I can't say I know a whole lot about the rest of the Italian cuisine...

So the question was, what could I serve with marinara?

Mushrooms of course! They are low fat, low in carbohydrates, high in vitamins B and D, and just so delicious and juicy when baked. Not to mention me and my husband are both big mushroom fans. They are just so versatile, and seem to go good with almost any dish.

Ingredients:

Mushrooms:

• 10 oz large white mushrooms
• 1 Cup almond flour
• 1 Heaping tsp of dried Italian herb blend
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil to coat pan

Chunky Marinara:

• Olive oil drizzled in pan, plus about 2 TBSP for sauce
• 2 Cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/3 each green, yellow, and red peppers, diced
• 1/2 Serrano pepper
• 2 Large red tomatoes
• 8oz can of tomato sauce (no salt)
• 1/4 cup leftover mushroom coating (or 1/4 cup almond flour)
• 1 tsp italian herb blend
• Additional salt & pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan, Mozzarella, or other cheese of choice (optional, for garnish)

Directions:

For Mushrooms:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine almond flour, Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag. Adjust any seasonings to taste. Wash mushrooms and, while still damp, add them to zip lock bag with seasonings. Shake bag around until all mushrooms are evenly coated. Drizzle enough olive oil to coat your baking sheet and place mushrooms in an even layer.

You should have some seasoning mix leftover, save 1/4 cup for the marinara sauce. Bake mushrooms for 15-20 minutes, turning once or twice throughout bake time to evenly cook the breading in the oil. Mushrooms will be tender when done.

For Marinara:
Drizzle some of the olive oil in a pan and warm over medium heat (don't add the 2 TBSP yet). Add the diced onion, garlic, red, green, yellow, and Serrano peppers to the pan. Saute over medium heat until peppers and onions are starting to soften, stirring occasionally. While the vegetables are cooking dice up your tomatoes and add to the pan. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften and start turning into a sauce. Stir occasionally. Add the tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of leftover coating from the mushrooms (or 1/4 cup almond flour), 2 TBSP olive oil, and additional salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. I didn't have any fresh herbs on hand so I just used dried Italian herb blend. Feel free to use some fresh herbs if you prefer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce is heated through.

Spoon some marinara over the mushrooms and top with cheese or additional herbs if you like.

If you aren't worried about gluten, I think these would go great over a bed of pasta. Of course, there is always the gluten free pasta you could use too. You can also serve with some salad, fresh veggies, or just eat them alone. :)